The light at the end of the tunnel could be
by Methaya
Summary: May turn racier laterGinny makes up her mindDG eventually INCOMPLETE
1. Oncoming Train

Disclaimer:

First chapter, first verse, everybody sing: "They are not mine, they never will be, dum-di-dum"

All hail to the fantastic J.K. Rowling (whatever does the K stand for anyway?)

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Chapter One: Oncoming Train

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Just before summer break

Clutching her book tightly Ginny Weasley stood up.

"I'll just hop over to the library and return this book."

"Um...yeah."

Ron muttered distractedly, apparently totally engrossed in "Hogwarts-A History", a large tome he happened to share with Hermione. Ginny knew better.

She sighed inwardly. Ever since the two of them had finally fessed up and admitted their infatuation for each other, Ron and Hermione had been virtually inseparable. Even their best friend, Harry Potter, sometimes felt like an intruder in their mutual world of rosy red relationship goodness.

For Ginny, who had always felt like the third wheel, or rather in this case the fourth, it had been worse.

None of her fellow classmates had ever let her forget what a freak she was. Pining for Harry Potter in that embarrassing, and after the incident with the diary, public way.

Ginny cringed just thinking of that time. The looks had been bad, but the whispers and the pointing was worse.

So she had tried to avoid being noticed altogether.

By now most of her fellow 5th years would have trouble to remember her name, had it not been for her flaming red hair which would always mark her as one of the Weasley bunch.

Ginny had perfected the art of hiding in the fore ground, most of the times she managed to avoid even the most vicious tongued Slytherins.

She had attached herself to Harry, Ron and Hermione. Harry was still very much on her mind. He was her hero, her knight in shining armour. She loved him.

She sighed.

__

Not that he ever really noticed. I am just Ginny, Rons little sister.

Ginny slipped through the portrait hole and made for the library.

The corridors were lit by torches and chandeliers, because even though it was summer and the sunlight lingered long after 9 o'clock, Hogwarts castle was always shrouded in its very own cloud of gloom.

Not that Ginny minded. She liked the half light, it made not being noticed much easier, although seeing was harder especially since she got her glasses last summer.

At one time Ginny thought she heard someone in one of the other corridors. Shuffling and maybe even a girl's quickly stifled giggle.

__

Well, someone had better be careful to not get caught in flagranti delicto.

Ginny continued on her way smiling.

At least she had legitimate reason to be out. Professor Flitwick had asked her specifically to return that book tonight, because apparently he needed it tomorrow very early.

She got on well in classes because there was not much else she did than study. Having no friends to distract her made for that.

The large double doors of the library loomed ahead.

Right next to them were two statues of some wizards or other. Ginny knew, because Madame Pince had told her, that there was always a key to the library hidden under the right wizard's robes.

Ginny groped around. She always expected the portly old wizard looking down at her and in a stern voice ask, what she thought she was doing down there.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she found the brass key and opened the door silently.

The dry smell of dust and old paper filled her nose.

No lights were on for obvious reasons but Ginny knew her way around blindfolded.

She hurried along the shelves to one of the more remote areas of the room.

Charms wasn't exactly one of the hottest items one could read about. Much less "Charms for Mapping and Geography", which was the title of the book Ginny was returning.

Ginny grabbed one of the ladders that were attached to the shelves and shoved it along to where she knew the book had to be put.

Bunching up her robes in one hand, she climbed the steps and looked around for the right place to put the volume.

"Llewlynn's History of Charms... Loblied's Charms For The Enterprising Entrepreneur?...ah, here we go." Muttering to herself she shelved the book.

A squeaking noise made her look up wide eyed.

Peering through the books, the light falling in from the huge windows was just enough so that Ginny was able to see that the library doors were moving!

The door swung open so that somebody could have passed through but nobody did!

Then the door closed again.

And suddenly, so unexpectedly that Ginny had to stifle a surprised squawk with her fist, Harry stood there. One hand holding a large cloak-

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An invisibility cloak! So that's how they were able to move around so unrestrictedly and find out stuff nobody could know about!

-the other holding Lavender Browns hand.

"See, I told you they sometimes forget to lock it!"

Lavender giggled.

"Should I ask how and under what circumstances you found out?"

Harry pulled her into a tight embrace, frowning mock sternly at her.

Lavender just giggled some more and snuggled into Harrys arms, putting her own around his neck, lifting her face.

Ginnys eyes were wide as saucers, her heart was beating wildly in her chest.

__

It can't be! How can she? How can he? Oh no! He's going to…he is kissing her! In the face! I want to die!

And she felt like it too.

While Harry and Lavender were getting more and more engrossed in each other Ginny could have sworn she heard her heart break.

__

If Harry and Lavender weren't so busy playing tonsil hockey they would have heard it too.

Harry slowly backed Lavender into one of the study tables, leaning forward, causing Lavender to dip back, so that both of them were more or less lying on the table.

Ginnys eyes burned.

Some morbid sense of self flagellation made her stare harder, while trying not to cry.

As Harry slowly let his hand roam down Lavenders robe front, Ginny managed to close her eyes after all. The image of the love of her life snogging with some dim-witted pretty face right in front of her, was surely forever imprinted in her memory.

She sat down heavily on the topmost rung of her ladder, turning her back on the scene a couple of shelves over, which was slowly but surely turning R-rated.

Ginnys thoughts were running in circles.

__

How can he do that to me! And with that cow too!

Granted, she is pretty! But so trashy! I bet half the boys already had a go with her. Harry is much too good for her.

The small voice of her conscience made itself heard.

__

He has never ever given you any reason to think that he saw you as anything other than his best friends youngest sister.

You know that he had girlfriends before. Well , girlfriend. He and Cho Chang were quite the item about half a year ago. Until she got killed in that stupid muggle car crash. You should be happy that he found someone new.

But I am in love with him!

Are you? Looks more like a bad case of teenage crush you never outgrew.

How can that be? I think of him every night before I go to sleep. I even keep a clipped twig of his Nova XR broom with me all the time.

She fingered the little locket she always wore.

__

See my point?

Ginny heard Lavender purr: "Harry, I love it when you do that! Oh yes! Don't stop!" Harry chuckled throatily and a little breathless himself.

Ginny put her fingers into her ears.

__

That's it. I can't do this anymore.

And then tried to stop thinking altogether.

The Hogwarts Express stood wheezing and puffing great clouds of steam, enveloping the mass of students and teachers boarding, looking for compartments and lost pieces of luggage. Assorted owls were hooting in their cages. The din was deafening.

"Has anyone seen my toad? Has anyone seen Trevor?"

Neville Longbottom kept running up and down the platform, looking frantically for his toad. Again.

Ginny had her trunk already stowed and stood staring forlornly along the platform. Just a few yards away Harry and Lavender tried to share a last goodbye under the pretense of helping each other with their luggage. Lots of touching and goofy smiling going on.

Ginny felt horrible.

Suddenly somebody violently bumped into her, nearly throwing her onto the tracks.

When Ginny turned around, she saw the smirking face of Draco Malfoy.

"Well, if that isn't the measliest weasel."

Malfoy grinned unpleasantly, getting ready to throw some last minute insults at her.

"Oww, are you gonna cry, little weasel? That's about all you are good for. That and tagging along after Potter of course, making goo-goo-eyes."

He sniggered, watching her and waiting for her tears to spill.

Ginny had actually shrunk back a step when she found herself face to face with the hated Slytherin. Hearing him was like salt to her already aching wound.

She should run.

Instead she bridged the distance between them, invading his personal space and hissed in his ear:

"Bite me!"

She swept past him onto the train, slamming the compartment door so hard behind her, the window threatened to shatter. Heads turned but all everybody could see was Malfoy glaring at a closed door.

__

She told me off! When did the little weasel grow a pair?

I told him to bite me! Omigod, I lost my mind.

What a rush though!

Ginny had to sit down abruptly, her knees had gone weak. She pressed her fists into her burning eyes.

__

I'm not going to cry, I'm not going to cry.

She chanted inwardly.

__

It's time I grew up.

A/N: Comments? Flames? Pudding anyone?


	2. Match

**Chapter Two**

**Match**

**_After summer break_**

As the Hogwarts Express slowly pulled into Hogsmeade station, chaos erupted onboard.

Students were running up and down the corridor, darting in and out of compartments and everybody was scrabbling for their luggage.

"Has anyone seen my toad? Has anyone seen Trevor?" Neville Longbottom sounded panicky.

_Some things just never change._

Ginny smiled to herself. She pulled up her comparatively small trunk, stuffing the remnants of her lunch bag into it.

She had purposefully picked a compartment with a mixed bag of Gryffindor and Ravenclaws in it, determined to make new friends.

_Actually just friends would be a start. It's not that I had any to begin with._

And to her utter surprise it seemed to have worked.

**_A bit earlier_**

"This seat taken?"

Ginny looked into three surprised faces when she opened the door.

"Ahmm,…" stalled Solange Bradley, a tall, blond Gryffindor student. Ginny knew that she was about to be brushed off.

"Swell! Could you help me with my trunk, it seems to be stuck somehow."

Ginny kept pulling at the obstinate piece of baggage. After a moments hesitation she was aided by Divinity Sinclair, a short, feisty black girl from Ravenclaw. Their combined efforts finally dislodged the trunk and they could stow it away with much shoving, grunting and a well aimed kick.

Ginny threw herself onto the empty seat huffing.

"Seems like it gets bigger every year."

"Yeah, it seems like that to me too." Solange volunteered after a while.

Silence descended once more.

_Here goes._

"Has anyone heard the rumour that Pansy Parkinson once tried to hide her house elf beautician in her trunk? I can just imagine the reaction when they finally got him out of there."

Ginny put her hand to her robe front, held the other in front of her limply, pinkie stretched, and said in a terrible french accent:

"Oh, quelle tragedy! Me wrinkled all of Miss Pansys robes! This beautiful elf is a bad elf! Punish the elf, toss it out without a nail file."

Ginny ended with a dramatic flick of her limp wrist.

After what seemed like an eternity of silence to Ginny Solange and Divinity both started chuckling and even the third girl, whose name she couldn't remember, just that she was from Ravenclaw, broke out into a huge grin.

"I was actually privileged to witness the event." Divinity said animatedly. "Pansy turned different kinds of red under her make-up. That clashed wickedly with her robes."

Ginny smiled as she thought how this had started off a discussion about Pansy in particular and Slytherins in general. And she had actually been a part of that. Solange, Divinity and Barbara, although the darkhaired Ravenclaw insisted on being called Tops, "Heck! Everything is better than Barbara!", had after the initial moment of awkwardness talked and laughed with her, like nobody from Hogwarts had done in a long time.

"He Ginny! Wanna ride with us?" stepping down onto the platform, Ginny heard Tops calling over the usual ordered chaos that was arrival day at Hogsmeade.

Ginny grinned and waved wildly. Unfortunately someone was just passing in front of her, so that she knocked his heavy bag out of his hand.

Vincent Goyles sweets spilled every which way, a package of Bertie Botts Every Flavoured Beans split open and upended its multicoloured contents onto the platform.

"Bloody Hell! I'm sorry!" Ginnys hand flew to her mouth, then she bent down to help retrieve some of the stuff. Vincent Goyle glared down at her.

"My, my, this kind of dumpy backside can only belong a Weasley!" drawled a well known voice behind her.

_Goody! Where there is a Goyle, a Crabbe and a Malfoy can't be far._

Ginny slowed straightened, running her hands down her robe front pulling them taunt.

"Why Malfoy, I never knew you cared." She said in a suggestive tone.

Ginny had the satisfaction of seeing Malfoy splutter. She grabbed his hand and dumped the rescued beans into it.

Reaching behind her she deliberately dragged her trunk over Malfoys foot as she passed him on her way to the waiting carriages.

The first weeks of the new term passed quickly for Ginny.

Divinity, Solange and Tops became her first real friends since she came to Hogwarts. Apart from Harry and Hermione of course. Ron didn't count, he was her brother after all. Where would the world be coming to if one would count a brother among ones friends.

One day the foursome was sitting in the Great Hall, labouring at their star charts for Professor Trelawneys divination class and eating left over chocolate pudding when:

"Watch it! Incoming!"

The four girls ducked as a small cloud of grey zoomed over their heads.

Seamus Finnegan, who sat right next to the four, wasn't fast enough and got conked in the side of the head by a terrified bat, scattering parchment everywhere.

"PEEVES!" Everybody who had already started straightening up, ducked again at the volume.

Filchs hunched frame was visible in the doorway.

"This time I will make sure Dumbledore gets your hide."

Peeves, the poltergeist cackled and made a very rude gesture.

After circling a few more times around the ceiling, in and out of the cloud of still shrieking bats, Peeves apparently got bored and zoomed out of the room again. Not without yelling into Filchs ear while passing though.

Professor McGonagall had joined Filch in the door frame, eying the cloud of bats cautiously.

"Would all students please leave the room and proceed with whatever they were doing…elsewhere. These are Bloodsucking Fiends and I do mean that literally. No need to panic, Mr. Creevey." She said to Colin in particular, who had risen in alarm. " I will take care of the situation as soon as you all have left. Just beware of the bats attaching themselves to any exposed part of your body."

Ginny couldn't help but notice Divinity closing her robe over her hitherto quite exposed chest.

"Still trying to get Seamus to bite?" Ginny grinned and wraggled her eye brows suggestively.

"Shut up! He might hear you!" Worried Divinity glanced to her right.

But Seamus seemed much more concerned about getting all his stuff together and leave the Great Hall to Professor McGonagall and the Bloodsucking Fiends than to pay attention to the whispering going on.

Seeing as he had scattered his parchments pretty good Ginny jumped to help him.

Grabbing papers left and right, Divinity seeing her chance to be noticed by Seamus helping now as well, the three of them managed to get everything while Tops took all of the girls own homework.

"Wouldn't want to do this tripe again, because some flying mice crapped on it." They heard her muttering.

They were the last to leave the hall.

Outside students stood in clumps, unwilling to leave the site of such excitement.

Divinity had indeed succeeded in chatting Seamus up, so Tops, Solange and Ginny discreetly moved over to the side. While straightening Seamus' parchments in her arm Ginny couldn't help - okay she looked! - but notice Divinitys name on one of the parchments.

Of course she had to look more closely.

It seemed to be a whole list of names among them...

F

M

Odds

Divinity Sinclair

Seamus Finnegan

2:1

Hermione Granger

Ron Weasley

n/a

official couple

Lavender Brown

Harry Potter

2:1

Suspicious behaviour

The list went on.

Furrowing her brows Ginny elbowed Solange in the ribs.

"Ugh! What did you do that for?" hissed the tall blonde, rubbing her side.

"Would you look at that?" Ginny thrust the parchment with the cryptic list at her.

Solange looked as puzzled as she felt.

"Look, your name is on it as well!" Solange pointed.

Virginia Weasley

Harry Potter

4:1

Potter is blind!!

Ginny grabbed the parchment again. A completely preposterous idea occurred to her.

"Holy flunking…, it's the odds of any of… well us, dating!"

Solanges expression slowly changed from blankness to wide eyed astonishment, then she grabbed the parchment again.

"Am I mentioned anywhere?"

A/N: I got reviews!! imagine authoress doing flic-flacs here

I count on everybody to tell me if this sucked so I can slink off to lurkdom again.

Dannie7 and Bellus-qui, I put in pudding for you. Everybody else is welcome to it as well.  ;o)

More after I come back from Vienna next weekend.


	3. Kindling

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Chapter Three

Kindling

Ginny sat in front of the vanity, looking into the mirror.

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Well, better when I got rid of the glasses. The hair is good. I actually like my hair, all spikey once I cut it. And red, red is good, too. Not so ordinary. Unfortunately with the hair come the freckles, nothing to be done about them. But Stephen once said, he liked them. Of course that was in second grade and he said it reminded him of a Dalmatian.

"And I tell you, you can classify the lot of them into categories."

__

Think positive, girl. What else is there to like?

The eyes are a lost cause, like cows eyes! The glasses made it worse.

I don't have acne.

The breasts … aw come off it, you're grasping at straws here.

"But you can't just lump all of them together. That is so … shallow. Not to mention insensitive." Tops shot Solange a dirty look.

"Oh? And them thinking of us as inconveniently talking attachments of our secondary sex organs is sooo sensitive? Solange, you really have to get off cloud nine and join us grunts in the real world. People, especially boys are predictable. That is not insensitive, that is a fact."

__

I changed the clothes. The skirts and blouses went. That is of the good.

I like the cargo pants and the Docs. I am a completely different person.

So how come nobody else noticed?

They still think I am all gung ho about Harry.

Can't they see I've changed?

"Take that betting pool that's apparently going on. It's stupid, it's shallow and … hello again, insensitive!"

"But…"

"No buts! It's a fact. Written in stone. Plain as day. And if **they** can be like that why shouldn't we? Now, where was I? Right, the categories."

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No more goo-goo eyes for Harry, no more hiding.

I reach out, I talk to people, I made new friends. I feel different, I **am** all different.

Not good enough apparently. Everybody still thinks I am the Dream Teams very own lap dog.

"Firstly, you have the clowns like Fred and George Weasley or Seamus Finnegan. Those can be relied upon to make just the wrong quip at the perfect moment. Secondly you have the heroes like Harry Potter, they are just used to people, girls namely falling all over themselves because of them. Then you have the assorted nerds like Longbottom and the intellectually challenged and general boneheads like Crabbe and Goyle. And let's not forget the bad boys."

"I am finished. Why can't you see that!" Ginny stated forcefully to her reflection.

Tops stopped counting up categories with her fingers.

Ginny turned on the stool in front of the vanity to face her two bewildered looking friends.

"People have to start really seeing each other instead of just assuming they stay the same forever and ever. People do change and we must all stop just expecting them not to." She rose from the stool, completely caught up in her passionate speech. "We must notice each other. We have to talk more. Open our eyes to each other."

Tops and Solange stared at her open-mouthed.

"Wow! I have the sudden urge to applaud. Or should I just go with calling St. Mungo's?" Tops said dryly.

"What are you talking about?" Solange added.

Ginny seemed to notice her friends staring at her for the first time. Blushing a bright red, the curse of the fair skinned, she realised that Tops and Solange couldn't possibly know what had triggered her outburst and must think her deranged.

She sat down again abruptly.

"Damn it! This stupid list. I had thought I had moved past that, that people would have realised by now that I have changed. I mean I tried. That is so totally not me anymore." Ginny ground to a halt as Tops held up her hand.

"I think you lost us both..." a that she looked at Solange who blinked twice owlishly "... right after damn it."

"I mean," Ginny now talked very slowly, enunciating clearly "that that stupid list just showed me that people still see me as a nobody, just good enough for tagging along after Harry." She threw up her hands in disgust.

"Well, aren't you? Into Potter, I mean." Tops said hesitantly.

"NO!" Ginny exclaimed violently, nearly deafening Tops. "Not anymore at least. But apparently I can't even convince you of that." Ginnys shoulders drooped.

Tops and Solange looked at each other then at their dejected looking friend.

"No time like the present then to change that."

Ginny looked up at Solange, her eyes full of doubt.

"And we have already so much to work with." Both Tops and Ginny turned to Solange, not knowing what she meant.

"Look at the list again. See? Down there, You and Harry, the odds and Seamus wrote that he thinks Potter is blind!" Solange pointed at the parchment as if that explained itself.

"I don't get it. It just means that Harry will never notice me." Ginny knit her brows in confusion. "Not that I care." She added hastily.

"No! He means that Potter has to be blind that he doesn't notice the hotness that is you." Solange finished with a flourish as if presenting Ginny on a stage.

"Yeah, and my father is going to be elected Minister of Magic any time now." Ginny answered glumly.

"Seriously! Look at yourself, you really did something with yourself over summer." Solange let her eyes travel up and down. "You got rid of those dreadful school girl clothes, your hair is fantastic, freckles! Freckles are cute! Your breasts...well, you have them now." She finished albeit lamely.

"Yeah right! So even now that I am looking less nerdy and more geeky people just think of me as the side kick if they think of me at all other than oh, look, Weasels little sister, what's her name again?"

"Well, if you think nobody seems to notice you then go ahead and do something noticeable!" Tops pointed out. "Dye your hair blue, mouth off at Snape, scratch that, we're aiming for noticeable not dead, get detention every day of the week, become a lesbian, date Goyle, or something."

"You're right! I have to do something drastic. Although maybe not as drastic as dating Goyle mind you." Ginny glared at Tops for even suggesting something as gross as that.

"Who is dating Goyle?" a voice from the door asked incredulously.

"Div! You're back! And after only…" Solange, being muggle born, checked her non-existent watch. "…two hours. All of them in the company of certain dashing Irish Gryffindor whom we all know." Solange wriggled her eyebrows suggestively. "Spill!"

"Weeelll,…" Divinity rolled her eyes to the ceiling, pretending to think hard.

Tops elbowed her in the ribs impatiently. "Quit stalling! Spill the goodies! We want all the gory details."

Rubbing her ribs Divinity sat down beside Tops on the bed and with a dreamy look in her eyes started telling the tale.

"..and I expect two rolls of parchment on "The Different Uses Of Electricity" by Monday." Professor Zipkowiz called over the sound of the bell ending class.

The class groaned collectively.

"Okay, make it one roll. I'm feeling generous." Professor Zipkowiz winked good naturedly.

That's why students liked Muggle Studies even though the subject seemed superfluous to most.

Ginny packed her stuff into her ratty old bag and set off. She still hadn't come up with anything to make herself more noticeable and planned on some more thinking outside since it was a beautiful summers day.

It seemed she wasn't the only one to have that idea, so Ginny joined the chattering crowds of Hogwarts students heading out of the Great Hall.

Groups and sometimes couples found places to sit and soon the meadow in front of the lake was dotted with people.

__

Looks a bit like those beaches on Mallorca where you can't walk for fear of stepping on someone's hand.

Ginny waved back at Divinity but didn't join her mostly because Seamus was sitting next to her and the two of them seemed quite capable of entertaining themselves without Ginny. She grinned to herself.

__

Those two seem to work out really well. Seamus looks at her like she hung the moon.

Ginny wandered around looking for a place less crowded. She finally found a spot behind some bushes near the forbidden forest which was probably the reason no one had claimed it yet.

Spreading her robe for a blanket on the grass she lay down on her stomach, resting her head on her crossed arms.

The sun warmed her back and she felt pleasantly drowsy, watching a bumblebee settle on a dandelion in front of her nose.

The bushes were a bit thinner near the ground so Ginny was able to watch the other students on the meadow without being seen herself.

Out of the corner of her eyes she noticed Harry walking off alone. A few minutes later she could see Lavender leaving her group of Gryffindor girls, casually sauntering off into the same direction Harry had gone just moments before.

__

Ooohh, stealthy! No wonder the odds on those two are so low. Can they be even more suspicious?

She snickered.

That brought her again to the reason she wanted to spend some time uninterrupted. She still hadn't come up with anything to shock everybody into noticing her.

As she was looking through the bushes again, her eyes roaming the meadow an idea came to her. She sat up abruptly.

"Malfoy!"

"What kind of freak are you? A fucking telepath? Or is it just your weasel senses."

Ginny whipped around at that.

"Malfoy!"

"Yeah, so you already said. Sun too much for you?" He sneered, standing with his hands in his pockets.

Ginny gathered her wits after the sudden intrusion.

"No."

__

Now that was real witty. She groaned inwardly.

"Whatever. And now bugger off." Malfoy stood waiting.

__

No time like now to make a fool out of myself.

She prepared herself.

"I don't think so." Malfoy raised his eyebrow. "I have a business proposition for you."

Malfoy raised his other eyebrow as well.

"I want you to pretend to be my boyfriend." There, she said it. No taking back now.

"WHAT?!!"

Ginny grinned. She had managed it again, making Malfoy splutter. Him not laughing his head off right now was just added bonus.

"Is your hearing impaired? Must be all that inbreeding. I want you to pretend to be my boyfriend, because I want…"

"I'll do it."

"WHAT?!!" Now it was Ginny turn to splutter.

"I. Said. I'll. Do. It." Malfoy enunciated clearly. "You look like a stranded fish." He sneered maliciously and added, eyeing her exposed belly. "Pale like one as well."

That sobered Ginny up a bit. She squinted up at his 6'foot frame.

"Why?" She asked suspiciously. Unconsciously she pulled down her top to cover up her stomach.

"Because it'll annoy your brother to no end." He grinned, exposing a lot of white teeth.

Ginny hadn't thought of that.

__

He is going to kill me!

She grinned mischievously.

__

He's welcome to try.

"Gee, Draco, curb you enthusiasm." She said sarcastically. "One might actually think you don't like girls."

Malfoy bristled, apparently she had hit a sore spot. With his pale good looks and the soft skin, with no beard shadow in sight, it seemed she wasn't the first to taunt him that way.

She tucked this bit of information away for future reference.

"Well, wouldn't that put a damper on your little scheme. What are you up to anyhow? Want to raise your value on the date market, by going out with me?" He interrupted himself. "Nah, wouldn't help, who would willingly go out with a mouthy bitch like you."

"Oh but Draco, you just agreed to do exactly that." Ginny said sweetly, fluttering her eyes at him.

"Since when are we on a first name basis, weasel?" Malfoy leaned forward menacingly, his ice grey eyes flashing dangerously.

"Again, since you agreed to be my fake of a boyfriend. Sorry, Freudian slip, my fake boyfriend."

__

Yeah me! This is going better than I thought. All limbs still attached and Malfoys boxers in a twist for the third time now. I wonder, is he a boxers or briefs man?

"But we haven't discussed payment, yet." Malfoy leaned back again folding his arms over his chest, his lips spreading in a smug grin. His eyes started travelling up her legs to her rolled up pants and higher.

Ginny couldn't quite believe it.

"But I thought..., you said..., I mean."

Ginnys thoughts ran in circles like a rat in a maze.

__

No, no no. This is not what I planned.

Plan? What plan?

Why did he have to show up like a damn Jack-in-the-box? Leaving a girl no time to prepare.

She saw Malfoys lips curve up in a dangerous smile. He found her frantic thinking, which must have been audible for miles around, apparently quite funny.

__

Frickin' pervert!

It was settled, she was going to do it.

"Okay, here is what I will do. And NO, it doesn't include you, me and the horizontal tango."

A/N: Is there anything more nerve-wrecking than writing dialogue??

Kudos to every single one of you who made it appear so effortless.

I always figured this would be easy, you would just have to write the dialogue like you would do it in the same frame of mind.

That was definitely **not** the case.

And I got into this willingly? ;o)


	4. Gunfire

Hi guys! It has been far too long and I have no real explanation for lagging so except the cat peed on my notes? The alarm clock didn't go off? I missed the bus?

But mostly life sucks...and then I died. ;o)

Hope you have fun.

Disclaimer: I do.

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Chapter Four

Gunfire

Brilliant! Bloody brilliant! I just knew that he would stand me up.

Damn him. He is probably lurking somewhere laughing his ass off while I stand here looking like a blooming idiot.

Ginny ground her teeth and cast dark looks down the corridor, scaring some Hufflepuff first years into giving her a wide berth.

He was supposed to accidentally run into me five minutes ago, now I'm gonna be late for Transfiguration.

Her teeth grinding had attracted quite a few odd looks from passing students but the corridors were emptying fast as classes started.

Impatiently Ginny shifted from one foot to the other.

Finally spotting Malfoy and a gaggle of other Slytherins at the very end of the hall heading toward her corner Ginny got ready.

One-one thousand, two-one thousand, three-one thousand. Go!

Ginny walked forcefully around the corner bumping into blackrobed Malfoy in the process and artfully dropping her books and parchment all over the floor.

"Can't you watch, where you are going, you slick haired prat!"

Ginny bent down to retrieve her scattered things.

"Miss Weasley!" said a cold voice filled with anger. "You will see me tonight for detention! And 50 points from Gryffindor for your insolence."

Ginny looked up with eyes wide as saucers.

Oh. My. God.

Snape looked down his pointy nose at the redhead, positively glowering with suppressed rage.

Behind him Ginny could just make out Malfoys face. He wore a comical expression as if he couldn't quite decide between just sneering or plain laughing out loud. Ginny mouthed a heartfelt "Fuck you" at him. That apparently proofed too much for him and he sniggered audibly.

Snape turned around, his robes billowing and stabbed an accusing finger at the offending Slytherin and hissed:

"And you will join Miss Weasley, since you two evidently share the same kind of humour."

YES! Serves him right.

But isn't it typical? I get detention **and** points deducted, he just gets detention.

Nevertheless Ginny couldn't help but smile to herself, hastily bending to cram her books and parchments into her bag to hide it.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After dinner Ginny made her way to the potions dungeon just to be stopped in the Great Hall by Professor Snape himself.

"Miss Weasley," she really started to hate the way he pronounced her name, like some sort of curse. "you will go to the astronomy tower for your detention and polish the telescopes without using magic." Ginny groaned inwardly.

There have to be at least two dozen of the things!

Snape extended his pale hand to accept her wand.

"Yes, professor." She handed him her wand.

"You will stay until I collect you." Snape snarled and dropped her wand carelessly into his robe pocket.

@#%€*~#!

After shooting one last vengeful look after the retreating professor, debating with herself whether she could stick out her tongue at him without anybody noticing, Ginny turned around and headed to the stairs.

As she reached the fifth floor and started tackling the stairs to the sixth it occurred to her.

Malfoy is going to be there, too!

Now she couldn't help a wide grin.

This is even better than the running-into-each-other-by-accident-plan. Detention together, what could possibly be more believable as a start for romantic entanglement. And detention in snogging place number one at that!

Ginny pondered the possibilities. They could get caught in a compromising position by Snape. No, that was out. Snape would probably bury them in detention 'til graduation.

She reached the door to the upper platform of the astronomy tower at last.

Did I actually just contemplate getting into a compromising position with Malfoy? Just for the sake of stepping out of the shadow of my brothers dearest, the uber-student, the clowns and the best friend of The Boy Who Lived?

Just to show everyone that I am no little weasel?

I should be tested for substance abuse.

She shook her head, attempting to clear it of doubt. She had made her choice and was going to stand by it.

Ginny had made a deal with the devil.

With that she opened the door.

Oh no! Please Merlin, no!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Little sighs of passion echoed through the seemingly empty room. Shuffling feet could be heard and the rustle of clothes.

But no one was to be seen.

Suddenly the door to the astronomy tower opened slowly, a shaft of light fell into the hallway, illuminating...nothing.

"You can't use your tongue for that! Do it like this."

A quickly stifled gasp could be heard, more rustling of clothes and the door to the tower was closed as stealthily as it had been opened.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ginny trudged down the steps to the common room blinking bleary eyed into the sun. It had taken until one in the morning to polish all the telescopes after Ginny had finally convinced Goyle to use the proper cleaning utensils.

To think he might have used his tongue to clean things in detention before. To think if I hadn't been there next time in Astronomy I might be pressing my face onto a surface Goyle cleaned with his...ugh.

Ginny shuddered violently.

Let's never think about that again. Buttercups and Daisies...

It had taken Snape another half hour to finally show up and send her off to bed.

So she felt pretty wiped and not at all up to what greeted her as she entered the common room.

About twenty of her fellow Gryffindors sat, stood, lounged and generally loitered and all of them looked up at her with accusing, or confused expressions.

Ginny was fully awake now.

"What? Who died?"

Grave silence answered her.

"WHAT! Why are you all staring at me?" She yelled exasperated.

Just then the portrait swung open to reveal a rather dishevelled Ron, leaning heavily on an equally mussed up Harry, each of them sporting a black eye.

"Oh my, what happened to you two?" Ginny hurried up to his brother and her friend.

As Ron saw Ginny his eyes narrowed.

"YOU!" he spat so venomously that Ginny almost took a step backwards. She saw Harry lay a restraining hand on Rons shoulder. Hermione stood up from her place on one of the couches.

Ginny hadn't even noticed that she had been among those staring at her.

Hermione spoke in her prefect voice to her fellow students, sounding all calm and reasonable.

"Please, I think we should leave Ron and Ginny alone for a while."

Nobody moved.

"I meant, get out!" she raised her voice impatiently and made shooing motions with her hands. "There is such a thing as privacy!"

Slowly the assembled Gryffindors got up from their assorted places and started shuffling out of the portrait hole casting the occasional furtive glance Ginnys or Rons way.

Harry and Hermione stayed looking grave.

Ginny felt outnumbered.

Bristling she complained: "I thought this was such a private matter. Why are you still here?"

She knew she had overstepped the line as Ron shook off Harrys restraining hand and rounded on her.

Talk about tickling the bear.

"How could you! That vermin! How could you let... I can't even say it!...How could you hook up with **him**!" Ron rounded angrily on Ginny. "But we showed him. Showed him not to lay a hand on my sister. Wait 'til Mom hears about this." Ron had gone beet red, in combination with the black eye it looked rather like an apoplectic racoon.

Showed him? Does Ron know? How can he know?

Did he really go and beat up Malfoy?

Ginnys thoughts whirled around in her head like an angry cloud of bats.

"I haven't done anything!" W_hich is true... up to now_ . "What the hell are you blabbering on about?" She was confused big time.

Ron spat: "Goyle!"

"Goyle??"

"Goyle! You...him...in the astronomy tower last night. Harry..." at that Harry disrupted Rons nearly incoherent rant.

"Why didn't you tell us, Ginny? I thought we are friends?" He looked sorrowfully at her through his glasses, his green, green eyes magnified.

Ginny couldn't believe her senses.

Does he practice this?

"Of course we are." _Where did that come from?!_

Ginny could have kicked herself for this Pawlow-like response.

Then what Ron had said actually registered.

"You think Goyle and I..." she started incredulously then her sense of humour kicked in, she fluttered her eyelids "Ron, it is so good that you finally found out. So we don't have to hide anymore." She took a step forward and put her hands on Rons chest beseechingly. "Goyle and I are in **luuuvv**!" She stretched the word to impossible lengths. "We have already talked about eloping to Gretna Green, it's not that far, you know?" She would have continued to babble just to enjoy the intensifying look of rage and incredulity on Rons face, hadn't Hermione interrupted her.

"Ginny, can't you see that this is really bothering Ron? Honestly, I would have thought you would be more mature about this."

For a moment Ginny cringed as she realised that this might really be something for her brother to get upset about and felt bad about making fun of him.

But then several other things occurred to her as well. She looked Hermione in the eye and said vehemently:

"Mature? Talk about mature! The mature thing would have been for my brother dearest to just ask me. But noooo, he just assumed that whatever he heard from somebody else, however improbable, is the truth. Why ask me, I'm just the little sister who never gets taken seriously. Merlin forbid, I should make my own decisions." Ginnys face felt hot with fury. She had worked herself into quite a state of righteous anger.

"Let's talk about this in a sensible fashion." Hermione might as well have tried to placate an erupting volcano.

"No! I don't want to calm down! Me and Goyle, my ass! How could you even for one second think that he and I…"

Now Ron got into the fray once more.

"Might have been the fact, that Harry saw the two of you yesterday together, all cosy up in the astronomy tower. About to…" Ron faltered, apparently too disgusted with whatever mental picture he had just conjured.

Ginny grabbed the opportunity to get in between.

"Harry?! Harry saw me? And what exactly could he have seen? NOTHING! Because nothing bloody happened! Goyle and I had detention together. We were cleaning the telescopes." Now Ginny turned to Harry angrily. "What were you doing up there anyhow?"

Harry coloured slightly and Ginny understood. Crossing her arms over her chest she ventured: "I see. I bet you were just pissed that your and Lavender's favourite snogging place was occupied." Even though she wasn't really paying attention to anybody else in her anger, Ginny could her a faint gasping noise from Hermione. A fast glance to Ron showed her his eyes bulging with surprise.

"How do you know about that?" Hermiones voice didn't sound that confident anymore and Harry looked positively alarmed.

"Ginny, you have to keep this to yourself. If Voldemort," at the mention of that name Ron winced. "ever finds out how much I care about her…" Harry trailed off and looked intensely at Ginny.

Drama queens, the lot of them.

Ginny couldn't help but think and nearly sniggered.

As if He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named would bother…

but then he might.

That sobered Ginny up quickly.

So he really likes Lavender.

A tinge of sadness crept into her thoughts which only served to make her mad all over again.

"Why didn't you just ask me about it? No, instead you go off half cocked, make a spectacle of yourself and me for that matter. By now probably all of Hogwarts is buzzing with rumours about Goyle and my supposed romance and the fact that you went and got beaten up by him is probably only making it more believable. Brilliant Ron! Fucking brilliant!"

With that Ginny shoved Ron out of the way and with a last glare at Harry who looked sheepishly back, stalked up to the girls dormitory, seething with anger.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

If Ginny had known how right she had been, she would have gone straight to the lake and thrown herself in instead of continuing like nothing had happened.

When she came into the Great Hall the next morning a hush fell over the assembled crowd. As she walked to her familiar space at the Gryffindor table she could have heard a pin drop to the floor. Keeping an unconcerned face she moved past the tables of Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff and slid into her place next to Solange.

The usual buzz started again but everybody keep throwing her weird looks and her fellow Gryffindors gave her a wide space.

Solange leaned over to her and whispered urgently:

"Ginny! What in heck happened? Everybody says Snape caught you and Goyle having sex last night in the astronomy tower."

Ginny spit out her pumpkin juice. More looks were thrown her way.

"WHAT? No!" Solange motioned her to keep it down.

"I got detention from Snape last night, cleaning the telescopes." Solange nodded, that much Ginny had already told. "Goyle was there as well, also having detention. Apparently Harry saw us there and drew the complete wrong conclusions. Don't know how he could though, because nothing happened." She added desperately.

"I didn't believe the stories, of course." Solange said hastily.

"Then why do you look so relieved right now?" Ginny started buttering her toast figuring it would help keeping up the pretense of normalcy.

"Because Tops said…" Solange hesitated and threw Ginny a questioning look.

"Well?" Ginny urged.

"She said that you might do something as foolish as dating Goyle to…well, to get noticed."

Ginny missed her mouth with the toast.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

This day had to be the worst ever. Ron kept glowering at her, Harry looked beseechingly at her whenever the opportunity presented itself and... had Hermione been tsk-tsk-ing into her direction? And those were just the Dream team. The Gryffindors avoided her very glance like the plague.

Ginny had never felt so utterly miserable.

And now, to top it all off Crabbe had waylaid her in one of the less well used corridors and shouldered her into a classroom shutting the door.

But he hadn't done anything as of yet, except keeping her from leaving. Now he shifted from one foot to the other, scratched his neck and kept throwing her glances.

Ginny felt nervous and highly creeped out.

What's taking him so long?And why is he looking sort of nervous?

"It is customary for the bully to say something when having cornered the prey." Ginny ventured. "If that is too much of an intellectual challenge, start with the hitting already." She braced herself. But Crabbe only stopped shifting and scratching finally. Instead he looked at his shoes as if they held the secrets of the universe.

"Don't want to." Crabbe then rumbled to her utter astonishment.

"What?"

"Wouldn't hit a girl." Then he looked at her in a way that he probably thought seemed clever but only succeeded in making him look shifty. "Unless she started."

This is getting weirder and weirder. Am I supposed to hit him so he can hit me in self defense??

I must be totally off my rocker. Why would he want that?

"Well, what do you want?"

Now he starts with the shifting and scratching again. What. Is. The. Matter!

"WhatisthiswithyouandGnl?

Unwillingly Ginny leaned forward in an effort to catch Crabbes near unintelligible mumble.

"Did you just ask , what it is with me and Goyle?"

"Yes."

"NOTHING! WE WERE JUST HAVING DETENTION TOGETHER!" Fed up and badly in need of an outlet Ginny hollered loud enough to dislodge some plaster from the ceiling.

Crabbe looked relieved.

What is wrong with this picture?

Ginny sqinted at Crabbes ugly visage which at the moment positively glowed with… happiness?!

"Why are you grinning like even more of an idiot than you usually are?"

Then it occurred to her.

Ugh, I am much too young for this. I'll be scarred for life!

Hastily she added: "Scratch that! I don't want to know. Rest assured I have no intentions on Goyle. " Ginny shuddered at the visual that started playing inside her head. "In fact as soon as I graduate I'll join a nunnery. Never thinking those thoughts again would be too soon."

She backpedaled, aiming to get as much distance as she could between her and the now obliviously happy Crabbe.

Unhindered Ginny reached for the door and fled the scene.

TBC


End file.
